#TreasuresOfDarkness: An African Descent Month Devotional-A reprise for 2020
When I originally curated and created this space three years ago, it was in response to what had happened just months earlier, a travesty of voting rights and justice. The harmful and festering environment that was waiting for a place to invade a society and wider community which was although struggling, had been working to begin to chip away at the aspects of oppression and marginalization.
What was worse, was that because of this breakdown in the collective bond that all humanity has because of the Creator, in many different expressions and in many faith spaces-it was more noticeable and therefore an opening to once more twisted theology as the norm, thereby cosigning, the continued degradation of peoples identified by the curse of Ham, in other words, peoples of the African Diaspora. The term “Blackness” by the wider community and society here in a U.S. context is celebrated by my people, but also used as a way to erase our viability and vitality; no other space is this more hurtful than within the Church.
As we are experiencing another wave and movement of civil and human rights, we look to our faith for empowerment and as a way to express righteous rage. If, as those who identify as Christians take seriously to the radical nature of Christ, this means that we should work towards authenticity and begin to dismantle words that equate black with evil, suffering, despair and subpar that are in in Scripture. We have to change the narrative, and uplift our siblings in Christ, in Faith and in Love, that there is nothing in sacred word, that concurs with human idealism that those who are not white, were bound for slavery as deemed by God.
I hope that you enjoy, learn and are challenged by many of the people who contributed to this devotional and take these scriptures and the insight both theologically, spiritually and practically. These are stories, testimonies and witnessing from so many beloved.
Ache’ and Amen,
Kwame
Darkness/Black:
Devoid of Light
Lacking knowledge or culture.
Wickedness.
Evil.
Lack of spiritual or intellectual enlightenment.
Ignorance.
Sullen.
Foul.
Hostile.
Throughout our complex and convoluted history, forcibly exiled to these divided United States , we as People of Color specifically, children of the African Diaspora, have had the label affixed to our very being, everything that could be seen as negative and malevolent, based on the color of our skin. Our ancestral home, was known as the dark continent:
Therefore, it is no surprise the roots of the detriment of our humanity has become a learned and permanent part of the dominant culture and the status quo’s misinformation.
In the movie Malcolm X, Malcolm who is at the brink of spiritual awakening,is confronted by another prisoner, who is a follower of the Nation of Islam about the meaning and the portrayal of the words Black and white and how these are attributed to humanity. Malcolm slowly becomes angered after the description and definition of white is shown to him:
White:
The opposite of Black
Free from spot or blemish
Innocent
Pure
Without evil intent
Honorable
Harmless
“It is inherent in every monotheistic faith that there are only truth and error, good and evil…Since the dark-skinned heathen obviously did not belong on the side of truth and good, the Christian assigned him…to error and evil.” Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, What’s Faith Got to Do with it? Black Bodies/Christian souls.
This mindset has filtered down throughout Christianity, to where many, as People of Color have become ashamed about who we are and questioned why the Creator would curse us with this troublesome skin. Unfortunately and because of the onset of what Dr. Douglas defines as “Plationized Christianity”, scripture after scripture has been misused to enforce racism, stereotypes and our sacred bodies being dehumanized into nothing more than beasts.
“Our American Christians are too busy saving the souls of white Christians from burning in hellfire to save the lives of black ones from present burning in fires kindled by white Christians.” Dr. James Cone, The Cross and the Lynching Tree.
This February as always is African Descent History Month; as scholars, troublemakers, seminarians, pastors, theologians and questers towards knowledge and empowerment, we are flipping the definition of darkness/blackness on its proverbial head and reclaiming the power of this word. Darkness does not equate a people blessed and enriched with melanin, created and formed in the image of Creator, who has blown sacred breath into our sacred bodies, giving us LIFE and a purpose.
Follow us here at #treasuresofDarkness this February, as many beloved siblings of Faith, of Love and of Light share with you their perception and translation of the concept of darkness in Scripture and in sacred/holy texts.
ASE!
AMEN!
Peace.
The Rev. Kwame Pitts(M.Div, LSTC), is empowered and embolden by the presence of the Ancestors, living out her life as such. Her call is not only to prophetically teach and preach but also experience her Faith along a dual and sometimes complex spiritual pathway, as Creator has called her. Following and continuing the responsibilities laid out through her Womanist theologian mentors and Elders, her Ancestors both known and unknown and venerating her namesake and the work of building a nation, Kwame lives her life authentically, as a Woman of the African Diaspora, working and rooted in transformative and social justice. She has been ordained in the ELCA since 2015 and currently serves in Upstate NY Synod both as Pastor and Campus Pastor. She continues towards completion of her Master’s of Sacred Theology (STM) from Chicago Theological Seminary, 2020.
